One simple attraction:One fatal flaw
by nightcast123
Summary: "When the world flips over...when bad becomes good...I will be there, waiting for you...Until you fall." It was an act of foolishness. An act of lust. It seemed so right at the moment, but just so wrong. When it comes down to the ones you love or your life, what would you have done? ((Canceled))
1. Forward--Introduction

**Hello everybody and welcome to my first fan fiction! I'm only an average writer, but I try to practice my skills. This little fan fiction won't be too long but it won't be too short. I hope you enjoy and please leave any reviews or comments for me, as I am always looking to improve my work. Thanks in advance!**

**Forward into the Nightmare**

Dashing boldly through the forest, Princess Peach held her breath. She couldn't waste time. Bowser was hot on her tail and would surly catch up to her if she didn't hurry. It was a risk to escape the castle, dodging it's heavily armed forces and its stupid bumbling guards. She had seen this all happen before. It was a dream of some sort, an itching sense of déjà vu. She was clasping onto her dress, careful not to trip on any branches or fallen trees. The stinging branches from the trees that were not uprooted by past storms and attacks still had sharp branches, some of which scraped Peach in the face. It was no time to be worrying about her complexion though, because she heard someone grow near her. Crunching sounds growing louder and louder as her breath began to disappear from her lungs. She couldn't take it anymore. The world had gotten the best of her and she fell to the cold, hard ground. Her dress was ruined from its pink ruffles bellow to its puffy sleeves. Her hair was another thing too, completely disoriented and tangled. She cupped her face in her hands, waiting for the footsteps behind her to now be in front of her.

She felt a dark shadow tower over her limp body. A familiar voice spoke to her. "What are you doing here?" It growled.

Peach picked her head up and gasped. She hadn't seen him dressed in dark clothing since…since Count Bleck. "It can't be."

The man nodded and flashed a wicked grin. "The one and only, baby. Now answer my question."

Peach hesitated, her breath still catching up with her. "I wanted to find him. I wanted to break him free."

"We all know it's a little late for that," He glanced down, "I never got what he saw in you."

Peach felt for the back of the tree she leaned on, finding her strength to stand again. "I'm sorry. I never told him to do it."

"But he still did it." The man hissed. "Look at what you've done." He then gestured to the scene behind them. Peach rose slowly, to get a better look at the chaos. Fire blazing from side to side of the castle, trees fallen from burning or from storms, shadows circling around the area, and a castle. From the ground, it looked as high as Peach's castle, but it was much taller. It was much more dangerous…And much more threatening. The man then drew her attention back to him, still keeping his voice soft so that the wardens couldn't hear. "Look at what you've done to me." He gestured to himself, then to her, "And look at what you've done to yourself!"

Peach ducked her head, making her voice faint, like a whisper in the wind. "I'm sorry. I never meant to-"

"It's too late for sorry." He turned away from her. "It's too late for anything." He began to walk away, but Peach had stopped him. "No," She said, "I refuse to let this happen. It will not end like this!"

"Then how will it end? Anyway you chose, I still see us all dead. There's no point."

Peach looked away, biting her lip and digging her fingers through her knotted hair. It was a sure sign of her thinking, because everyone who knew her well knew she would do this. After a moment's time, she finally spoke. "I have an idea, but you have to trust me." The man hesitated, but agreed. They both heard a siren behind them and they ran deeper into the disfigured forest. Peach tried to remember how this all began, to work backwards to find a solution. She remembered the bright sunny day. That day she saw the birds were singing, the Toads were laughing, and she sitting by the river. It was one thing that she had done wrong though.

One fatal flaw…


	2. Chapter 1-- Bell of the Ball

**I've been busy for the beginning of the day, but I promise that my entire weekends from now until…Until Christmas will be devoted to finish this story. Without any more interruptions, let us continue, shall we?**

**The Bell of the Ball**

The river glistened with the sun's rays, reflecting it and making it disfigured. Even in its calm waters, it was hard to tell what was what and who was who. It was a bright spring day; the air was warm and welcoming, as always. Toadsworth always knew how to pick the perfect days for a ball. Princess Peach was not really one to be around a crowd. It might have been her small case of claustrophobia, thanks to Bowser. Then again, it was always the thought of the new people to meet and all the hands to shake at once. The very thought gave her the slightest, but most annoying headache. Peach was really one to stay with her normal group of friends, because at least she could remember their names.

The bell tower in the city nearby had struck 4:00 p.m. It's bell blaring four times for those who couldn't see the clock clearly. Peach turned her head towards the bell tower and let her hand hover over the soft grass one last time. She rose up and headed back to the castle. The ball was at 6:00 and knowing that getting Daisy ready as well would take at least an hour, it was better to be safe than sorry with the time.

"I'm not doing this. I can't. It's stupid." Daisy crossed her arms over her chest, leaning on the chair by the mirror.

Peach sighed and opened the door to the wardrobe. "Daisy please, I don't need to argue with you today. Maybe we can talk about this next week."

"But I'm going home next week…that makes no sense." Daisy gave her an awkward stare.

Peach took two dresses out and set them on the bed. "Your father said that you could stay here for the ball. I expect you to try to have fun, it's spring after all."

Daisy shook her head, "Peachy, you know I can't dance."

"Yes you can. Remember a while ago? It was another party to celebrate my rescue, if I remember correctly."

Daisy sat up in surprise. "Wait…You don't mean…"

Peach gave her a quiet little smirk. "You and Luigi had left towards the balcony, for some odd reason. Then he led you into a dance, flowing to the music from the ball room. Ah yes, it was quite the lesson."

"ONE: We weren't dancing; we were…acting as if we were dancing! TWO: I was at the balcony first, and then he came along with a drink. THREE: How'd you know?"

"So you admit to dancing with him! HA!" Peach turned around to a fake audience and bowed, "I rest my case."

Daisy snatched a pillow from the bed and tossed it at Peach. "You are such a stalker!"

"I didn't watch for long. I was just admiring how you looked so comfortable." Peach insisted. Daisy was as stubborn as she was playful. She never got used to new places quickly and she often got homesick in Peach's castle. When that party had taken place, Peach had expected Daisy to stay locked in her room and to avoid everyone. When Peach had come to check on her friend, to her surprise she wasn't in the room. On the way back to the ball room, she noticed that two familiar figures were dancing on the balcony. She hid by a corner and peered over the edge. After squinting for a better look, she saw that the figures were Luigi and Daisy. Daisy's tight expressions that Peach knew all too well had softened to a warm expression of happiness; or possibly love. Peach knew she was getting ahead of herself, but romance was her favorite key to life. If a new couple was forming around the castle, she was the first to know.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

The girls were dressed in their ball gowns; Peach in a pink, puffed dress with ripples at the bottom and Daisy in a slimming, yellow, sparkling dress that covered her to her ankles. Peach stood by Daisy, brushing her short, chocolate brown hair. Daisy shrugged at her reflection in the mirror. "I can brush my hair myself, you know." Peach avoided her comment and continued to hum softly to herself. "Peach, I got this." Daisy turned around forcing her to stop in mid-brush.

Peach sighed. "Fine, but please do not mess up your hair. It the key thing to-"

"Looking like a princess," Daisy recited and took the brush, "I know."

Toadsworth knocked on the door and Peach called for him to come in. He walked in steadily, his cane making a tap on the floor with every step. He bowed before the princesses then began to speak in his normal, boring voice. "Your highnesses, I suppose you are ready for the annual spring ball?" The girls nodded in sync and Toadsworth continued his ramble. "I expect you both to introduce yourselves to our neighboring royals." Daisy tried to contain her yawn while Peach tried to sooth her sudden headache. "Please do try to get out there, princesses. This is our chance to make amends with others. I don't want to see you two around familiar faces." Toadsworth's voice was much more stern this time. The girls nodded once again and the trumpets sounded. They played a welcoming tune which signaled that the ball had begun. Toadsworth, Peach, and Daisy readied their selves to enter the ball room.

Mario and Luigi walked into the crowed ball room. Mario was wearing his favorite tux and black pants to accompany it. Luigi was wearing a white shirt under a black sleeveless vest with formal pants to match the dark color of the vest. Both of them tried to keep attention off them, but every once and a while a Toad would point or wave. Peach and Daisy stood in the middle of the ball room, surrounded by other royals or commoners. Peach looked up and saw the brothers on the other side of the room. She excused herself from the crowd and made her way towards them.

"Mario, Luigi, I'm glad you could make it!" She smiled. The brothers bowed before her and a new symphony began to play.

Daisy ran over and hid in between them. "They're going to start dancing. I'm out…Oh, hey guys! Long time no see!"

"What's the problem? You can dance." Peach grabbed onto Daisy's arm, making her stop. Luigi glanced up from the floor quickly. Daisy and Luigi looked at each other for a moment. Daisy looked away and sighed.

"Why are you so shy all of the sudden anyway?" Mario asked suspiciously.

"I just can't dance." Daisy snapped.

"But I thought that-" Mario started but Luigi nudged him with his elbow.

"She can't dance. Let it go."

Daisy nodded and glared at Peach. "Yeah, let it go…and let me go."

Peach released her grip on Daisy and Daisy rubbed her arm. "Okay."

Mario then looked at Luigi. "But I seriously thought that you-"

"NO!" He half shouted, but didn't draw too much attention to them. "Heh. It was nothing. Really. Nothing." Luigi was still a little jumpy since the whole Mr. L fiasco. Every once and while he would spit out a sarcastic comment or be surprisingly outgoing all of the sudden. He tried to repress it all into one corner of his mind, but it always jumped back.

"Okay. Calm down, bro." Mario shrugged at Peach. She rolled her eyes and smiled. Daisy walked to another side of the room and Luigi noticed she was huddled by a corner. Something was bothering her. He left Mario and Peach alone, making his way towards Daisy to find out was wrong. Peach sighed, this time with a slight sound of passion. "Ah, young love."

Mario looked at her oddly. "Wait, what?"

She playfully gasped. "You didn't see that? It was so graceful, so hidden, so…strange."

Mario stood back. "You mean…" Peach looked at him and nodded. "No," He shook his head, "Really?"

Peach nodded once again. "Cute, aren't they?" He shrugged. Peach looked around. The other royals were still hovering around each other. Her head ache returned and she looked away. "I hate these get-togethers. So many people, so little time."

Mario chuckled under his breath. "Tell me about it."

Peach looked at him curiously. "What are you complaining about? You're a hero, Mario. What do you have to worry about?"

Mario met her eyes with a sweet gaze. "Parties, enemies, these royal get-togethers, and you."

Peach slouched back. "W-what?"

"You're a princess and since I'm the one who saves you, of course you're something I worry about."

Peach fell into his stare and her heart began to pace. Maybe it was time to admit what she really thought. After the years she's spent with Mario, she realized he was more than a common ego snatching hero. He was kind and brave. Dashing and playful. He was just overall amazing. Ever since she knew how she really felt, it was harder to do things around him. She was constantly thinking she was going to embarrass herself in front of him. He'd already saved her a few times, so what had she got to lose? It wouldn't result in him not saving her again, if need be…Right?

"Mario," She began softly. The room set the perfect ambiance. The music was slow and soothing. The lights were dimmed to a perfect color of amber and the floor was filled with couples dancing. Best case scenario: She gets to dance with him.

As she continued to speak, the chandelier began to rock back and forth; faster and faster every time. Everyone looked up and some screamed. Everyone evacuated the dance floor as the chandelier got loose. The rope broke and it fell to the floor, leaving glass pieces everywhere and making a harsh crashing sound of nails on a chalkboard. The lights immediately turned off in the entire castle, leaving everyone in pitch black darkness. Mario took Peach's hand to make sure she was okay. Her heart just pounded faster from both the excitement and fear. A purple smoke emanated from the broken remains of the chandelier. It circled around the room, accompanied by a female evil cackle. More Toads screamed in terror. The purple smoke gathered itself together and bolted out the door to the castle courtyards. Peach, Mario, Daisy, and Luigi met up once again. "What the heck was that?" Luigi looked out to the door the purple smoke left through.

"I have no idea." Peach said stiffened in fear.

Mario looked around then grasped Peach's hand tighter. "Let's go check it out." The other three looked at him like he was insane.

"We have no idea what that is! What if it attacks us?" Luigi asked fearfully.

"Then you can stay here in the dark, Luigi." Mario let go of Peach's hand and walked towards the door. The three looked at each other for a minute then quickly followed after him as the Toads tried to fix the lights.

"Mario! I don't know about this." Peach walked beside him.

"Neither do I. But I'm up for the adventure." His smile calmed her down. If she just stayed near Mario, then nothing bad would happen.

At least, that's what she thought.

**That is the end of chapter one! Hope you liked it and if you can, please leave a review or comment because I really appreciate it! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 2- Happily Never After

**Quick little note: Thanks for the positive feedback guys! I really appreciate it, as I've said a million times (I swear, I'm part parrot). Now we move on to chapter two and find out who's behind this magic trick gone wrong. **

**And they lived Happily Never After**

The purple smoke remained in one part of the courtyards, manifesting itself into a human-like figure. Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Daisy stood close to the door. The female cackle sounded again, this time sounding much louder and clear. Mario walked ahead of them, looking entranced by the maniacal laughter. Peach managed to outstretch her arm to him but he kept walking towards it. "Mario, don't…" Peach whispered but it was too late. He was standing centimeters away from the apparition. It turned to him, revealing its evil grinning face.

"Is that the..." Daisy choked on her words.

"It…It is." Luigi stammered.

Peach gasped, "T-The…"

"The Shadow Queen." Mario growled.

The Shadow Queen simply laughed. "Oh you silly little idiots, you didn't have to throw a party for my return! I'm just here to tie up some loose ends." She circled around Mario, speaking slowly and carefully. "I would have come sooner but, _somebody _locked me up."

"Correction: We killed you." Mario snapped.

"No you did not." Her eyes widened with anger.

She sighed, as if annoyed by his reply. "You simply thought you did. You see, being a master of control, I have the power to 'play dead'. I did take the damage, yes, but I didn't vanish completely. Demons never really die; they just stay away from the idiots who dare oppose them," She laughed again, "It is like a small game of make believe."

Since no body spoke, she continued on. "As I have mentioned before, I am here for some unfinished business." Her eyes were set on Peach. Peach backed up towards the door but it was locked tight. There was no use in running; The Shadow Queen would still catch her anyway. "What have you done with yourself, Princess Toadstool? You still look like the weak vessel you were before!" She laughed at her own joke, but no one followed her. She sneered at them all, "Get a sense of humor."

"Why do you want me? What have I ever done to you?" Peach shouted in terrified shrill.

"You are the only vessel that I have gotten used to. After all, nobody suspects the noble, pure heart, princess."

Daisy ran her tongue across her teeth. "We can still stop you."

"We have the crystal stars." Mario added.

The Shadow Queen nodded with them. "Ah yes, but I have the element of surprise." With that, she sent her smoke-like hand towards Daisy and Luigi. It quickly sent them towards the right side of the courtyards into a brick wall. She summoned hands to come up from the ground and they stretched out to the top part of the wall, locking the two together. The queen rolled her head in a circle, taking a deep breath. Peach ran over to Daisy and Luigi to try to break them out. The Shadow Queen laughed at Peach's failed attempts. Mario ran over to help her, but still the hands wouldn't budge. "This was fun, but I only have so much time." The queen strode over to Peach and pulled her away. Peach tried to fight the queen's grasp, but she was too strong. Mario stood there, motionless and thinking.

The Shadow Queen tossed Peach to the ground and grinned.

"What are you going to do with me?" Peach heard herself say.

"It will be but a simple extraction. I'm going to rip your soul out of your body and your body will be my control. After that, you won't be the noble pure heart you always thought you were." The Shadow Queen replied coldly. "With that being said, relax, princess." She made Peach sit up with her head back forcing her mouth to open. The Shadow Queen's body turned back into smoke, circling around Peach's helpless body. With Luigi and Daisy knocked out by the wall, Mario narrowed his eyes.

"You don't need her!" He shouted, stopping the ritual. They both looked at him and the queen released her grip on Peach. "Look at her! She's a weak, helpless little fool!" He continued without pause to think. "What will she do to help rule the world? Nothing at all!"

The Shadow Queen simply stared at him. "What are you implying?"

"I'm implying that Peach won't help rule the world. She's weak. If you really want a stronger person to take over the world,"

Peach widened her eyes in fear. She knew what he was going to say and tried to stop him. "Mario, don't-"

The queen held her hand in fist which stopped Peach's voice from being heard. "Continue, child."

"Then why don't you use me?" He finished coarsely.

The queen took a moment to think, and then nodded her head. "You are stronger and more experienced with battles, I suppose." She then snickered in an unearthly tone. "You're giving up your life for the life of this…brat?" Mario kept his expression serious which made the queen wipe her smirk. "Very well. I'll let the girl live." She tossed Peach away towards Mario. Peach shot up to him, still shaking with fear.

"Why did you do that? You're going to die! She'll kill you!" Peach kept her voice to a worried whisper.

"I'm doing this for you." He replied quickly.

"But you're going to die! It was better if you just let me die and you can live!"

He looked at her with a bitter sweet glaze. "Since day one, I promised that I would do anything I could to protect you until my days end. I'm not going to break that promise now. Not when I can still do something." She felt a hot tear roll down her cheek as he walked towards the queen. "Good bye, my princess." He whispered to himself.

Peach stood there, watching everything unfold before her very eyes.

The Shadow Queen's body turned back into the purple smoke they had first saw. It circled around Mario several times, shielding his body. He was kneeled down as if bowing to her. The next thing Peach knew, Mario was on the ground, looking as if he was dead. _She did it…she actually killed him. _Peach covered her mouth. She ran over to him, trying to hold back her tears. As she neared him, his head turned to her. She jumped back. His eyes were a bold black color and his face was completely pale. He stood up and Peach backed away.

"Mario…?" She whimpered. Mario didn't speak, he just held out his hand in front of him. Peach was suddenly lifted two feet off the ground. Mario grinned madly as Peach struggled to speak.

Luigi opened his eyes slowly and shook his head. The hands that held him and Daisy captive had weakened. He tried to find a way out, but the sight in front of him forced him to stay seated.

After a mad fidget, Mario let Peach fall to the floor. She landed with a hard thump, slamming her hands in front of her. Mario towered over her, still grinning.

"I should have really done this earlier." He said.

"What have you done to him?" Peach managed.

"I've done nothing. He's in here…somewhere. Why do you worry? His weakness was too easy." Mario scoffed. "It's always the damsel in distress that weakens the knees of the hero. However, I wonder why he didn't volunteer before. I suppose you'll never know."

Peach tilted her head, "What do you mean _I_ won't know?"

Without another pause, Mario hurled Peach to the other side of the courtyards. She was slammed into the wall and fell to the ground looking lifeless.

The entire world melted away in her mind. It was pitch black darkness. Peach saw herself, walking in the dark, without sense of direction. She saw a door open. The door was from the castle courtyards and the light inside was coming from the spring ball. She walked inside, looking at the crowd of people. She saw everything as it was moments ago; the music playing, the couples dancing, the lights dimming.

Peach froze. The lights were dimmed to the same amber color before the chandelier fell. She ran over to the side where she and Mario were standing before.

"Mario! You need to listen to me!" She grabbed him by the shoulders.

He stood back. "I'm listening."

"In a few minutes, the chandelier will fall down and The Shadow Queen will try to kill me. You're going to stop her and risk your life for me. Then when I think that you're dead, you're going to try to kill me too! The Shadow Queen will have full control of your body and you can't stop her." She spat everything out without stopping to breathe.

Mario looked at her awkwardly. "Okay…"

Peach whined and shook him frantically. The chandelier began to rock back and forth. Peach's vision began to blur up over tears. "You have to believe me! Please!" She cried louder. The chandelier's rope broke and it came crashing to the tile floor. All the lights in the castle immediately turned off, leaving everyone in darkness. Purple smoke emanated from the broken rope as it bolted out the door to the castle courtyards. Peach turned back to where Mario was but no one was there. It was too late to fix this. _No, it's just a dream. He's not dead. He's not dead._

As the pitch black darkness returned, Peach heard Mario's voice. It sounded distant, but calming. She could only remember the words faintly:

"When the world flips over…when bad becomes good and good becomes evil…I will be there, waiting for you…Until you fall."

**Like the tie-in with the description? No? Okay….*sad violin music plays***

**Anyway, that was chapter 2! Ha-ha! Chapter three won't be released until Friday (12/14/12), so do be patient. Thanks to any readers and reviews that I get over the next week and that I HAVE gotten this weekend. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! **

**~Nightcast out~**


	4. Chapter 3-- Snapped

**It's been a long week, but that's no reason for a break! It's time to continue the story, but let me just explain something. I understand that some might be peeved that The Shadow Queen is back even when The Thousand Year Door game said that she was gone forever. Let me just remind you: This is a "what if" story. That's the whole point of a fan fiction. It's a scenario that you would like to happen; at least that's what it is for me. Anyway, let's see where the group is now.**

**Snapped**

Peach opened her eyes slowly; letting her eyes render the area around her. She realized she was in the same place she was the night before. The castle courtyards were still intact, other than the walls that had slight dents in them. She sat up and felt the grass around her. It was rough and made her palm itch. _Strange, _she thought quietly to herself. She looked up to the sky and the memory of last night came back to her almost immediately.

The sky was mixture of black and purple. The air reeked of smoke and burning wood. Peach stood up quickly, pushing her hair out of her eyes. Her left arm felt numb as she walked. She had felt the same sensation when she had first broken her arm years ago. Luckily, the bone shifted back into position as she got older, but she knew that it wouldn't be that easy to mend it again. Peach ran into the castle to avoid the craziness of outside. The ball room still looked almost the same; the chandelier on the floor and glass spread everywhere. It was empty, so all the guests might have evacuated after the lights went out. Peach kept walking forward to the throne room. As she opened the door, she gasped, covering her hands over her mouth.

"Bowser?" she said, her speech muffled by her hands.

"Is there a problem, princess?" he replied calmly.

"What are you doing here?"

"Protecting your castle," his voice was smooth, but she couldn't trust him easily.

"Why? I have the guards. I never requested you to be here. I never did!"

"I know, I know. But since red 'stache is out of the picture, I thought 'hey, I can totally protect the princess and then she'll be really thankful.'"

"Well I'm not," Peach crossed her arms over her chest and sighed, "I'd be thankful if you could leave…Right now."

Bowser walked closer to her, laughing dryly. "You haven't heard, have you?"

"Heard what?" She tilted her head. Her arm hurt once again, so she returned them both to her side.

"He's not your precious little hero anymore," he put emphasis on the word "little"; "He's turning everyone into his slaves and making them do whatever he wants. If they don't…" Bowser put his index finger to his neck and made a quick fake slice across. Peach stepped back, shaking her head. Bowser nodded. "That's pretty cruel, huh?" She didn't reply, just stood there, shocked.

"Anyway, I'm still alive because I hid from all the wardens. Thinking about it, I really have to give that guy credit. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have re-thought all this evil business." Bowser sat back on the throne. "It's been going nowhere. Now that everything's flip-floppy, I've considered becoming a good guy instead. "

Bowser looked at Peach. She was still and her face was flushed of her pigment. He sighed at her frozen state and continued talking. "I was just trying to do something nice for once. You don't have to be so stiff. So, do you know where orange and green 'stache are?"

Peach had a sudden flash of Daisy hanging upside down. Her head was red and all the blood was rushing to her brain, slowly making her insane.

The there was a sudden flash to a locked door. Peach could hear Luigi whimpering from the other side of the door. Something was terribly wrong with both of them and Peach wouldn't have time to stop it if she stood here.

"I need to go." she whispered. Before Bowser could stop her, she bolted out of the throne room. She kept running, not looking back. Bowser tried to follow her, this time his voice was threatening.

"YOU'RE GOING TO DIE IF YOU GO OUT THERE! YOU HEAR ME? YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS WILL ALL DIE!"

He began to follow her outside the castle. Peach kept running; her feet began to ache as her arm throbbed. She heard Bowser's footsteps behind her, growing louder and louder every time. Peach dashed into the forest, hoping to hide from him. As she heard the footsteps slow down, she took a breath and leaned on a tree. The tree was cut in half and its bark was loose, giving her tiny splinters on her back.

After a minute or two, she heard the footsteps start again. Without thinking, she kept running deeper into the forest.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

After Peach had found Mr. L, she had led him farther into the colorless world. She was leading him to a ware house that she thought held Daisy. As they were walking, Peach brought up the flash that had happened after Bowser brought up Daisy and Luigi. However, Mr. L did not take the news lightly.

"Now you're telling me you can see into the future?" Mr. L walked beside Peach as they neared the broken ware house.

"I'm just saying that I never had that happen." She rubbed her head. "I just knew that something was wrong and I should have stopped it sooner."

"You really should have. Just look at all this chaos. There's burning patches of grass, black skies, dead people, coins on the floor- Oh, a coin!"

Peach sighed at his greed. "Mr. L, as I've said before, it was his choice to pursue this fate. The only thing I could have done was encourage it."

"But you could have done a jump and take the shot for him! Or maybe you wanted him to do it."

"I would never want him to risk his life for me!"

Mr. L scoffed, tossing the coin in the air. "Well he does it all the time, genius. How do you think he saves you? Do you think it's just a simple game of tag?" Peach felt her eyes swell up again, but she held back the tears, almost choking on her breath.

They entered the ware house where a female figure was walking around a table, singing a song.

"Ring around the rosy, a pocketful of posies. Ashes, ashes, they all fall down! Ring around the rosy, a pocket filled with posies. Ashes, ashes, but they all fell down!"

The female stopped her singing as the two entered deeper into the room to confront her. Her hair was a light coffee brown but the rest of her features were still hidden.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, calmly.

"Daisy, it's Peach, remember?" Peach said softly.

Daisy swiveled around revealing her face. Her hair was a light coffee brown which was cut to her shoulders. Her pupils were dilated to the point where they were nothing but colored specs in her eyes. Her eyes had circles due to lack of sleep and her hair looked was rough. Out of all her features, what really caught Peach's attention were Daisy's lack of memory and her increase of madness.

"Ha-ha! RIGHT! You just barged in to say 'hi' and leave? You're going to arrest me, right? Make me work for the lunatic, huh? Well, girlie, I'm not going anywhere! And you can't make me." Daisy announced with high praise for her little speech.

"Don't you remember the night this all happened?"

Daisy took a knife and stabbed it into a slice of bread. "Nope."

Peach winced back at the sight of the knife. "Surly you must remember the spring ball."

Daisy shoved the slice of bread in her mouth and chewed it carefully. "Nah."

Peach glanced down, looking for an event that Daisy must be able to remember. She picked her head up and smiled with the thought. "Do you remember…Luigi?"

Daisy threw the knife down on the cutting board and swallowed the bread. "Oh my gosh…" she turned around to face Peach. "I totally DON'T remember him. What was he; your cousin or something?"

Peach sighed, slamming her hand on her forehead. It was no use; Daisy most likely forgot everything that led up to this point in time. Mr. L sighed and rolled his eyes. "Are you sure this is the one we're supposed to be looking for?"

Daisy stomped over to him and scowled. "And WHO are YOU?"

"Mr. L," he was about to give the propter introduction of "I know it's a cool name so don't bother to remember it," but Daisy started to giggle at his name.

"What's so funny?" He inspected Daisy carefully.

"Your name is Mr. L? Yeah, sure. Your name is three letters and a dot."

"What's wrong with three letters and a dot? It's a cool name."

Daisy snorted, "For a three year old!"

Mr. L grabbed a wrench to the side of him. "Then tell that to my brobot!"

"They're all destroyed," Peach reminded him.

"That's what you think, miss-pretty-in-pink!" He put the wrench in one of the holders on his belt.

"A BROBOT? HAHAHA!" Daisy flipped over in laughter, landing on the floor. "So let me get this straight," she stood up and dusted her dress off. "You are a guy, a grown man, wearing a black jumpsuit with a belt and a hat that has a backwards 'L'. You build these robots and call them your 'brothers'. And on top of all that, you call yourself 'Mr. L'."

"When you put it like that…" Peach smiled at him.

Daisy put her arm around Mr. L and poked his chest. "If anything, your name would be Lucas. It just matches everything about you."

"Get off me."

"Just look at your face, your physique, the mystic gray eyes, and the mask. You are a Lucas."

"I said get off me." Mr. L pushed her off him rolling his eyes.

Peach clapped her hands, getting their attention. "The reason why I brought you two together is because you both can't remember anything. That, and the fact that something has changed in both of you, making you either evil or insane."

"I remember everything perfectly fine." Mr. L mused. "You let Mario die. End of discussion."

Peach clenched her fist but she wasn't one to fight with brute force. "He did it for me, even if he lost his soul for it, he did this to protect me."

"Well he shouldn't have." Mr. L turned away from the princess. He scowled at the gears and nails behind him.

Peach sighed and rubbed her arm. "We need to work together; after all, we are the only ones left."

"What about Bowser?" Mr. L remained turned, "He's still alive. It's only those who stay in the shadows who stay alive. I was just lucky enough to escape in time."

Daisy was quiet and focused on the floor. Mr. L glanced at her, studying her carefully, as if he was remembering something about her. Daisy's eyes moved to his and she picked up her head. They just held each other's eyes for moment and it felt strange for both of them. However, it was quick moment and they both shook the feeling away.

"That is the only way we survive." Daisy turned to the wall. "Isn't it?"

"I'm afraid so. The Shadow Prince is practically taking over the world." She continued her thought.

"You see?" Daisy turned back to them. "Even the wall agrees with Lucas."

"Mr. L." he corrected.

"Whatever."

Peach pursed her lips. "Why did you just talk to the wall?"

"There's no time to explain! We need to search, rescue, and destroy!" Daisy marched over to a vault.

"It's a search and rescue." Peach corrected.

"WHATEVER!" Daisy called over her shoulder.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Peach looked outside the ware house and took a deep breath. The air was still smelled rotten and the sky was still. She could hear the faint sounds of volcanos erupting. As much as she hated it, Mr. L was right; this really was her fault. The reason why everyone was hiding in the shadows was because of her. But why did The Shadow Queen return? It must have been more than just because she felt like it.

Mr. L slammed the wrench on the floor and cursed under his breath. Peach flinched back.

"Stupid wrench! This nut case doesn't have anything useful here!" He stormed over to Peach. "What are you doing? Haven't you wasted enough time already?"

"I'm not wasting my time."

"It sure looks like it." He grabbed another screw from the table.

"Well I apologize for my bland actions. What are you doing?" she turned over to him.

"Making something, but I don't remember the plans for the brobots."

"You don't remember much, do you?" she mumbled.

"I might not know much, but I do know this: Nothing ever disappears. Everyone might have thought that The Shadow Queen was gone forever, but she wasn't. Demons never die; they let others believe they're gone. Then they wait and watch. They learn their enemies' flaws and find a way to destroy them, not only physically, but mentally. They spend months, even years, practicing their attacks making them almost invincible. Then they attack the targets and make sure that no one remains."

"The Shadow Queen was obviously following Mario's weaknesses." he continued, "She knew that he was stronger and would do more to protect you. It would be easier to possess him that way, obviously struck in the state of…love."

Peach slouched back, relaxing her shoulders. "So he loved me?"

Mr. L scoffed and turned back to the gadgets before him, tinkering with the metal scraps. "Love is only a puny emotion that brings everyone down in the end." He laughed dryly and smirked, "You would know, wouldn't you princess?"

After a moments silence, Peach walked away, leaving Mr. L alone with his inventions.

Daisy walked in the room a while later. She set down a box next to Mr. L and opened it. He looked at her with an icy stare but she didn't move, just looked at him back.

"Is there a problem, Lucas?" she leaned on the table.

"Yeah." He nodded and pushed her box to the side, "I was here first."

Daisy put her hand on her hips. "I know, but I was the one who found this place, so this desk," she pushed everything that he had to another side of the desk, "and everything on it is mine."

"What is wrong with you?" He exclaimed.

"Everything!" she smiled.

Mr. L huffed and turned back to his work, which was now pushed to one entire side of the desk. He glanced over at Daisy's box, which only held a small jewelry box inside. He took a deep breath and pointed to the box. "What's in that thing, anyway?"

Daisy looked at him daintily, but didn't mind his sudden interest in her inventions. She was the smartest person alive now, after all. "It's a simple jewelry box, Lucas. What do you think it was; some kind of odd alien egg sack?"

"I wouldn't say that, nut case. I just wanted to know." He rolled his eyes and slid all this work over to the other side of the desk. Daisy recoiled and put her hands on her hips.

"What are you doing?" She said, her voice demanding an answer.

"Moving all my stuff," He replied, "Isn't it obvious?"

"But it's my desk," she outstretched her arms and pushed everything back. "So, you're not going to do that. Not here, not now, not ever."

Mr. L pushed everything back. "But I'm a guy, so I can do what I want."

"But, I'm a girl," she pushed it back again, "so I can do what I want too."

"So I'll just move my stuff back."

"Not under my roof you ain't."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No-"

Mr. L's hands were right on top of hers. She looked up from the pile of scraps and their eyes met again. His look was still icy, which gave Daisy chills. Her look was still maddening, which only made him grit his teeth. The room was silent now that the screeching of metal had stopped. The silence was so calming, it was eerie.

Even with half her memory gone, Daisy still longed to see who the man was behind the mask; if it was someone who could possibly jog her memory. She noticed that his features did in fact resemble someone from the back of her mind, but the memory was blurred, like everything else. She opened her mouth to speak, with the spur of the moment still giving her chills. As she did so, an eruption happened outside, making them both break the stare. With that all happening, Daisy laughed maniacally and walked away from the room. Mr. L raised a brow at her sudden change of emotion but noticed that she had left her box behind.

He opened the box flaps wider and took out the jewelry box. It opened slowly, playing a soft lullaby tune. As he looked inside, he put it back down on the desk. He suddenly felt dizzy. Daisy walked back in the room, her eyes gleaming with anger.

"Why do you have this?" His voice was horse but stern.

Daisy did not reply, but her glare had softened. She uncurled her fists. Mr. L looked at her, noticing her stance was weakened. He furrowed his brow and stepped closer to her. "Answer me!"

Daisy first laughed at his raised tone, but then she turned away from him and leaned on the door frame. She began to sob softly. "It-it's nothing…Nothing for you to know."

"Then I'll find out myself." He slammed the box shut and walked towards the door. Daisy grabbed onto his sleeve and tugged him back.

"W-wait," She stammered, "I can explain."

Mr. L glared at her and leaned on the door frame. He sighed and waited irritability for her to explain herself.

**Oh goody! I do love surprises! You guys have to wait until tomorrow though to read the next chapter (unless you're reading this after the day this chapter is released)! Hope you liked it. By the by, I'm working on some stuff for the next fan fiction, which will be a prequel to this (as in it takes place before this fan fiction) but will not be a direct prequel. It will just be a story that takes place before this one. I hope it'll be a tad better too. **


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